JOURNAL STAFF
Evangel saved its best for the playoffs as the No. 13 seed Eagles rolled No. 20 Istrouma in a 60-0 shellacking Friday night.
The Eagles piled on 21 points in the first quarter before completely pulling away against the Indians, taking advantage of short fields caused by turnovers.
“This team has been getting better every week, and I don’t think we’ve peaked yet,” said Evangel coach Denny Duron. “It’s wonderful watching these kids play, and they’ve earned the right to play well. They practice with all their hearts, and they love each other and love the game.
“Most importantly they love God, and this is a team that not only plays together and goes to school together, they have fun together and worship together. I’ve had a wonderful time watching this group come together in their hearts and see that manifest on the field as well.”
Evangel (7-4) won its fourth straight contest and logged its first playoff win since 2019. The Eagles will head south to play No. 4 E.D. White in the second round of the Select Division II playoffs.
The Peyton Fulgham-Parker Fulgham connection remained strong Friday, but Duron lauded the effort of newly-minted running back Andrez Mosley as the “surprise star on offense.”
“I can’t say enough about Peyton and how well he played, and Parker had a big night as the other receivers made clutch catches as well,” Duron said. “But Mosley had a great night at running back after he played defense most of the year. Running back is a natural position for him, and he was like a fish in water.”
The defense pitched its second straight shutout after blanking Booker T. Washington in Week 10, and the Eagles took advantage of Istrouma turnovers for easy points.
“The stars of the night were the defensive unit,” Duron said. “Istrouma is the biggest team I think we’ve ever played against (the Indians have at least four offensive linemen that weigh in at more than 325 pounds). But our kids were able to take on the challenge, and the defensive front was the story.
“Our coordinators had great gameplans tonight, and our boys rose to the challenge against a confident Istrouma team that had size, speed and ability.”
Istrouma (4-7) ended its season by losing six of its last seven games.
METAIRIE PARK COUNTRY DAY 34, GREEN OAKS 12: Visiting Green Oaks answered the challenge early issued by No. 9 seed Country Day, but the Cajuns proved to be too much in the first round of the Division III Select playoffs.
The No. 24 seed Giants (2-9) responded to an early Country Day score with a touchdown run from quarterback Tovoras Lee, cutting the Cajuns lead to 7-6 with Green Oaks’ first offensive possession.
Green Oaks forced a fumble on the next drive, but the Giants couldn’t capitalize with points.
The Cajuns (6-5) scored the next three touchdowns to secure their fourth win in the last six games.
The Giants cut Country’s Day edge to 28-12 on a Delarrious Marshall touchdown run in the third quarter, but Country Day held GO at bay from there.
“Our guys definitely competed hard, and we had our opportunities, but mental mistakes hurt us at the wrong times,” said head coach Chadwick Lewis. “We don’t have any guys with more than two years of playing experience, even among our six seniors. So we have another year of strength and conditioning with track that will definitely help us. I believe making the playoffs and losing it like this will leave a sour taste, and we will be hungry next season.”
The Giants end the season with their eighth straight loss but qualified for their fourth playoff trip in the last five seasons.
Green Oaks provided friction for a Country Day offense that has scored 30 or more points in five regular-season games.
